The present invention generally relates to a control method of an image recording apparatus for visually outputting an image, and a control device for carrying out the control method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a control method for causing an image recording apparatus to output graphic data as generated by a computer, e.g., a host computer, and a control device for carrying out the control method.
The image recording apparatus, which visually outputs an image of the graphic data (vector data) as is generated by a computer generating and supplying graphic data, e.g., a host computer, comes in two varieties, an electrostatic plotter and a called Xerography plotter.
The electrostatic plotter directly forms an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic recording paper by a recording head of the multi-needle electrode type, and applies a subsequent developing process to the latent image, and finally produces an image in a visual manner. The Xerography plotter forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, and transforms the latent image into a visible image, and finally transfers it on normal paper.
A conventional control device for controlling the image recording apparatus controls the outputting operation of the image recording apparatus according to the data for controlling the output operation of the image recording apparatus as it is transferred from a host computer (the data will be referred to as output control data). In the case that the output control data transferred from a host computer is, for example, data about the output-request size of the paper and the output-request number of the paper as an image recording medium, the control device controls the outputting operation of the image recording apparatus according to the output control data of the output-request size and the output-request number of the paper.
There often occurs a case that the output control data is incorrect for an amount of image data transferred from a host computer, in other words, the image data amount from the host computer is not within a range of a predetermined amount of image data which is uniquely determined for the output-request size, or more exactly the image data amount from the host computer exceeds the range of the predetermined image data amount which is uniquely determined for the output-request size. Even in such a case, the conventional control device controls the outputting operation of the image recording apparatus according to the instruction by the output control data from the host computer. Consequently, the image recording apparatus outputs an image (visible output) with the output-request number of the paper according to the instruction based on the incorrect output control data, or the data of the incorrect output-request size. The problem is a negligible matter when a sheet of paper is the output-request number of paper, which is based on the instruction by the incorrect output-request size data. When the output-request number based on the instruction by the incorrect output-request size is two or more, a number of the incorrect visible outputs of image are output from the image recording apparatus. This results in a waste of paper, and this is to urgently be solved.